Structural and binding studies of C-terminal half (C-lobe) of lactoferrin protein with COX-2-specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Three COX-2-specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), etoricoxib, parecoxib, and nimesulide are widely prescribed against inflammatory conditions. However, their long term administration leads to severe conditions of cardiovascular complications and gastric ulceration. In order to minimize these side effects, C-terminal half (C-lobe) of colostrum protein lactoferrin has been indicated to be useful if co-administered with NSAIDs. Lactoferrin is an 80 kDa glycoprotein with two similar halves designated as N- and C-lobes. Since NSAID-binding site is located in the C-terminal half of lactoferrin, C-lobe was prepared from lactoferrin by limited proteolysis using proteinase K. The incubation of lactoferrin with serine proteases for extended periods showed that N-lobe was completely digested but C-lobe was resistant for more than 72 h indicating its long half life in the animal gut. The solution studies have shown that COX-2-specific NSAIDs bind to C-lobe with binding constants ranging from 10−4 to 10−5 M showing significant affinities for sequestering these compounds. In order to understand the mode of binding and sequestering properties, the complexes of C-lobe with all these three compounds, etoricoxib, parecoxib, and nimesulide were prepared and the structures of their complexes with C-lobe were determined at 2.2, 2.9, and 2.7 Ǻ resolutions, respectively. The analysis of the structures of complexes of C-lobe with NSAIDs clearly show that all the three compounds bind firmly at the same ligand-binding site in the C-lobe revealing the details of the interactions between C-lobe and NSAIDs. The mode of binding of COX-2-specific NSAIDs to C-lobe is similar to that of the binding of COX-2 non-specific NSAIDs to C-lobe.